1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a time recorder which can be located in both vertical and horizontal states.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The main stream of conventional time recorders is of a vertical type in which the card inserting slot is opened in the top and a panel for operation and display is disposed facing upward. In this prior art, since the time card is required to be inserted in the vertical direction with respect to said card inserting slot, it is not adequate, or in other words, practically impossible to locate the time recorder in such a place as for example, under a counter table or under a shelf board, where the height is restricted, since if located in such a place, the inserting operation of the time card becomes impossible. Thus, the place for location of the prior art time recorder is limited.
In view of the above, an attempt is made to use the vertical type time recorder in a horizontal state when used in such a place where the height is restricted. However, a time recorder is generally required, as its nature, to be always readily confirmed with figures and/or characters printed on a time card inserted by a user (printer). Furthermore, since the panel is disposed in such a manner as to be faced toward the user, when the recorder is located in a horizontal state with the printing surface being faced upward, the panel is positioned upside down. On the contrary, when the recorder is located in a horizontal state as such that the panel will be correctly faced forward, there arises another problem. That is, the printing surface of the time card is faced backward.
In order to solve the above problems and to respond to the user's diverse needs, a horizontal type time recorder is developed, in which the time card is allowed to be inserted in the horizontal direction. However, even in this case, there still remain such problems as that two kinds of time recorders, i.e., one for a horizontal type and the other for a vertical type, are required to be manufactured. This means that the number of component parts required is large and the manufacturing costs are high. Above all, there is such a serious problem as that no one knows whether or not the place where the time recorder is going to be located is subject to height restriction until he actually goes to that place for confirmation. Accordingly, there arise such problems as that the delivery time of a time recorder is delayed since the time recorder once delivered is required to be brought back to the factory because of incorrect selection of the type of time recorder, and that the delivery of a correct time recorder cannot be fulfilled because of the shortage of the particular type of time recorder.
The present invention was accomplished in view of the above problems inherent to the prior art time recorder.